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FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 days ago
Well no, but I guess supportive transmedicalism is a step in the right direction, even if it’s still quite fucked.
(Equivalent being back in the day seeing being gay as being a mental disorder).
jol@discuss.tchncs.de 5 days ago
Sorry, but I have an honest question. Isn’t gender disphoria a mental issue? And isn’t it addressed with medical procedures? I don’t understand the consequences of transmedicalism.
FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 days ago
Many societies and cultures allow for forms of changing your gender, or have other gender roles that fulfil these.
The concept of “mental disorder”, just like “gender” is a social construct.
In a society where these other genders or changing genders is not commonly allowed, like modern western cultures, someone who doesn’t fit into the binary vision of gender might be seen as having a “disorder”.
Just like back in the day, in a society where gayness is erased and does not exist, a gay person might be seen as having a mental disorder.
It’s very important to note that what is considered a “disorder” or not is very much a social construct.
jol@discuss.tchncs.de 5 days ago
I understand that and agree, but in the case of many trans people, they go after medical procedures that go beyond plastic surgery. So I don’t think it’s perfectly comparable with being gay
FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 days ago
Transmedicalism is the view that the mental state of transgenderism is caused by “gender dysphoria” a mental illness.
Gender affirming care does not require transmedicalism, and in fact many transmedicalists are against gender affirming care.
myusernameis@lemmy.ca 4 days ago
Hi, Happy to try and answer, though with the caveat that this is just from my own experience.
Disphoria happens on a social, mental, and physical level. For some the social hits strongest, basically they feel like their true gender internally and would like to act and be treated in a way that matches the social contruct of their true gender rather than their AAB gender, but they may care less or not at all about the physical appearance. Transmedicalism denies that their experience is very much the trans experience. For some, like me, my lifelong dismorohia (e.g. eat disorder, body shame) meant that my physical disphoria only presented after I found queer communities will to accept me as trans while I still looked very cis. To put it in TLDR terms, no woman should have to shave her legs to be a woman (and trans women are women). Which leads me to #2.
Transitioning can take a long time. I am now addressing my physical disphoria, but the time and money required is significant. Transmedicalism (perhaps unintentionally) creates hierarchies: passing > surgeries > hormones etc. Which can be emotionally destroying along the way, and even more for a late-bloomer like me, who may never pass. And so rejecting that helps change the standard for me, makes sure every step I take is for me which leads to the last point.
NB and trans NB people exist. Specifically why what OPs dad said is still troubling, it still forces a binary when gender is more of a 4d spectrum.
TL;DR transmedicalism gatekeeps a lot of people out, when we all have far more in common.
Again, not the gospel, just my take. Thanks for asking. ❤️